What is the Italian word for hello?
Informally or colloquially: ciao!, salve!, 'giorno, 'ngiorno
(G'day). The most common word is 'ciao', pronounced like 'chow',
but with an 'o' sound like the 'o' of 'point' at the end rather
than a 'oo' sound: /"tSao/. 'Salve' comes from Latin and is a bit
more formal than 'ciao'. You only use 'ciao' with someone you
already know.
Formally: buon giorno (good morning), buon pomeriggio (good
afternoon), buona sera (good evening). But on the phone is: pronto?
(lit. ready?). Note you use 'pronto' only on the phone, never in
person.